Old Master Bai's emaciated body collapsed to the ground, gradually turning into a white fox with sparse fur.
It seemed that even if Shen Lin had not taken action, this old bastard would not have lived much longer.
The system's prompt confirmed this guess the next moment.
Killed an Enlightened White Fox Demon, not yet in the Innate Realm, lifespan: one hundred fifty years, remaining lifespan: four years, absorption complete.
"Only four years..."
Shen Lin muttered, but there was not much disappointment on his face.
After all, he had already earned a great deal of Demon Lifespan on this trip.
Aside from this old bastard, the other fox demons still had quite a bit of lifespan left.
Madam Bai had forty years remaining, while Bai Erlang and Qianqian had each provided one hundred years of Demon Lifespan.
That Qianqian girl, who looked so delicate and weak, as if she were in the prime of her youth, was actually fifty damn years old.
The moment he thought about how he had been flirted with by a demon old enough to be his grandmother, Shen Lin felt a strange sensation in his heart.
Shaking his head, he focused his attention on his panel.
Shen Lin Martial arts mastered: Blood Battle Saber Technique (Perfection), Gale Sword Technique (Perfection) Cultivation arts mastered: None Remaining lifespan: One year Demon Lifespan: Three hundred fifty-nine years
With this family of fox demons plus the wolf demon from earlier, Shen Lin had suddenly obtained three hundred fifty-nine years of Demon Lifespan. This trip had truly been richly rewarding.
Coming back to himself, Shen Lin raised his head, only to see the wide-eyed head of the farmhand.
"Hey, I almost missed one."
With a soft chuckle, Shen Lin walked into the house.
With a bang, he kicked a wooden chair aside and smiled at the trembling little fox.
"Little friend... shall I help you go find your grandpa and grandma?"
Killed an Enlightened White Fox Demon, not yet in the Innate Realm, lifespan: fifty years, remaining lifespan: forty-two years, absorption complete.
Demons that had not cultivated Demon Qi seemed to have lifespans of only fifty years, which was more or less the same as ordinary humans.
After his Demon Lifespan officially surpassed four hundred years, Shen Lin searched through Old Master Bai's study for a while longer.
He not only recovered the money he had given them earlier, but also found the Bai Family's savings inside a wooden chest.
There were five thousand taels' worth of silver notes in total.
That fellow demanded two thousand taels for a single transaction, yet who would have thought his savings amounted to so little?
Besides that, Shen Lin also found quite a few IOUs from the villagers.
The smallest were only a few taels of silver, while the largest amounted to thirty taels.
Yet even these sums had driven those villagers to sell their sons and daughters, turning them all into food for the Bai Family.
With a sigh, Shen Lin picked them up and once again surveyed the study.
Just as he thought there would be no other gains and was about to leave, he suddenly stopped after taking a step.
He slowly lowered his head and looked at the floor beneath his feet.
Thump, thump!
Crouching down, he tapped lightly, and the floor tile beneath him actually gave off a hollow echo.
Shen Lin inserted his long saber into the gap and gently pried.
With a crack, the long saber broke.
During his battle with Old Master Bai, the saber had repeatedly clashed with the treasured sword and had long since been battered with scars.
At that moment, it finally could not withstand any more.
Fortunately, the floor tile had loosened somewhat.
Shen Lin cast a regretful glance at the long saber in his hand, set it aside, hooked his fingers, and grabbed the floor tile.
Hidden beneath it was not gold or silver jewelry, but a yellowed scroll of animal hide.
Puzzled, Shen Lin took it out, blew away the dust covering it, and opened it.
"Qingqiu Body Tempering Art."
This was actually a martial art!
Delight appeared on Shen Lin's face, and he murmured, "I never thought there'd be an unexpected gain."
Without rushing to examine its contents, Shen Lin tucked it into his robe, planning to study it carefully after he returned.
Whether the martial arts of the Demon Race were suitable for Human Race cultivation remained unknown.
After carefully inspecting the study and confirming that nothing had been missed, he walked outside, picked up the treasured sword from the ground, and carried Old Master Bai's corpse out.
At the entrance, the old farmer had not waited long before hearing the commotion inside the courtyard.
But that was, after all, the Bai Family's courtyard. Even if he had ten more lives, he would not have dared enter and investigate.
Yet if he left directly, he feared that the constable would come out, fail to find him, and bring down a great calamity.
While he hesitated, the gate suddenly opened, and Shen Lin appeared there carrying the corpse of a white fox.
With a thud, he threw the fox demon's corpse onto the donkey cart, then dusted off his hands and said to the old farmer, "Captain Sun discovered long ago that something was wrong with the Bai Family. He came to investigate yesterday and finally confirmed the Bai Family's true identity: they were a group of White Fox Demons in disguise."
"Now, Captain Sun's divine skill has reached perfection and he has displayed his might, battling five great fox demons alone. Although he slew them all, he ultimately suffered serious injuries."
Hearing Shen Lin's words, the old farmer was first startled, his mouth falling open in disbelief.
Although the Bai Family's servants had always been arrogant and domineering, Old Master Bai himself had always worn a genial, gentle smile. How had he suddenly become a White Fox Demon???
Yet the enormous white fox corpse on the donkey cart made the old farmer believe it to some extent.
Then he turned his head, somewhat confused, and looked at Captain Sun, who lay on the donkey cart, seemingly dead or alive, scratching his head.
Hadn't Captain Sun been lying there without moving the entire time?
How had he displayed such might...
The next moment, Shen Lin calmly handed over a silver note.
One thousand taels!
The old farmer's eyes went wide, and he instinctively reached out.
After he pinched the silver note between his fingers, Shen Lin did not let go at once.
With a clang, the treasured sword in his left hand slid halfway from its sheath, radiating a bone-chilling aura.
The old farmer jumped in fright and instinctively tried to let go and retreat.
But Shen Lin released the silver note, grabbed him by the collar with his right hand, and asked seriously, "Did you hear what I just said?"
"I... I heard it clearly." The old farmer answered instinctively, then suddenly understood Shen Lin's meaning and hurriedly said, "It was Captain Sun who displayed his might, slaying the fox demons after one battle after another."
"Good!" Shen Lin nodded in satisfaction and continued, "Later, you can tell the villagers about this, so they will know that in Qiulin County, as long as Captain Sun is here, no demon will be allowed to run rampant!"
"I understand, I understand..."
After giving these instructions, Shen Lin returned to the courtyard, carried out the rest of the White Fox Demon corpses, and placed them on the donkey cart.
Just as he was leaving with the little fox's corpse in his arms, Shen Lin suddenly sensed that something was wrong and abruptly turned his head.
The farmhand's head, which had still been staring wide-eyed in death, had somehow closed its eyes. The corners of its mouth were slightly twisted, as if carrying a hint of a smile.
Shen Lin fell silent for a while, then said in a low voice, "May you have a peaceful journey!"
With that, he did not linger any longer and left directly.
Before you continue